Tuesday, July 7, 2009

Stand by Me pulled an incredible upset over the #1 seeded Let Love Rule; can this song be the Cinderella (although it is only against the #13 seed)? Stand by Me is short, more-or-less danceable and lyrically suitable, as the song speaks about standing with the person no matter what. It can be best described by us as non-objectionable and really neutral (could be played for a couple or mother son, etc.)

Can't Take My Eyes Off Of You may well be experiencing a resurgence thanks to hit Broadway musical Jersey Boys. It's a classic, but not necessarily an automatic go-to, which is nice. And there's some really danceable moments. The biggest problem may be that it talks about a kind of love at first sight feeling (which we do not really believe in), as well as lust. I mean, what kind of marriage would function when the spouse cannot take his eyes off the other spouse? Also what happens when the spouses age? Can this song win against the higher seeded giant killer, Stand by Me?

Here Comes the Sun has a very nice sense of "things are going to be OK from here on out." Although that can make it seem like it was not before (so the only reason things are OK is because we will be married? Maybe appropriate given our current long distance status, but is it the right message?) It's danceable and cheerful and appropriate but not entirely conventional. It should also appeal with everyone given that it is the Beatles. This song has been popular in the voting with 13 votes in favor of it in the first two rounds (although it faced the 23 and 31 seeds).

I Believe in a Thing Called Love is not even remotely grandmother-friendly. Well, not our grandmothers. That's not a deal-breaker, mind you, but as completely awesome the song is, it's pretty heavy on the sexuality. It has some of the same problems Can't Take My Eyes Off You did, but it does talk about being together always, which is the sweet side of this song. This song is the lowest seed left (other than the Lovely Day in the tiebreaker) and barely made it out of round 1; it will be tough to get past the Beatles with its borderline inappropriate lyrics.

Just the Way You Are is a danceable song (though quite slow), and has more relateable lyrics, and seems the perfect message of marriage -- maybe not the most complementary lyrics (particularly "I don't want clever conversation. I never want to work that hard"), but that's the point. Billy Joel is on the older side but there are older songs left.

They Stood Up For Love is a great song. It's very inspirational, very pro-love on a general basis -- though the first couple of lines are not grandmother-friendly (however, the rest of the song is). This is the second highest seed left -- the highest if you don't count "Hanging by a Moment" in the tiebreaker round -- and has fared well in each round. I expect this to survive again.

I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles) is a strange choice (which tends to be a good thing), and it's still quite lyrically appropriate. Added bonus? It featured prominently in an episode of How I Met Your Mother we love. The #18 seed had a strong victory in week 1 and just knocked off the #7 seed. Now it will face a strong challenge vs. the #3 seed. I would add as Laura did that is song is strange but it has nice lyrics and it is probably danceable.

Hanging by a Moment is nice because it's generationally appropriate. In addition to being romantic and danceable, it was at its peak popularity just as we were coming of age. That's sort of the problem, though. Baggage. Personally, I like this song and I feel it is incredibly romantic and sweet, though it could be considered cliched. This song is the highest seed left but it is coming off a close call against Lovely Day. With They Stood Up for Love losing, this could be the only truly seeded team to make the Final 4.